Candle  for providing rapid fragrance delivery

ABSTRACT

A scented candle is provided which includes a dual braided wick in a candle mass. The candle mass is positioned on an inwardly sloping platform and such platform is snugly fit into a noncombustible container. A wick clip with louvers that secures and centers the wick in the candle mass allows maximum fuel flow to the wick during use to ensure full consumption of the melted candle mass.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a scented candle and more particularlyto a scented candle which provides for a rapid release of the fragranceafter the candle is lit.

Most scented candles emit fragrance readily from the melt pool createdwhen the candle wick is lit. The time for delivery of the fragrance isdirectly proportional to the time it takes for the melt pool to form,surface area of the melt pool and the temperature of the melt pool.

Some scented candles that rapidly release fragrances that are known inthe art use a heat conductive device to melt the solid fuel element.Such additional heat conductive elements take away from the decorativenature of the candle. Moreover, such heat conductive elements do notproduce a melt pool surface in a short time period because theconductive element transfers heat to the bottom of the candle containersrather than where the wick is burning and therefore do not produce fastfragrance delivery.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide ascented candle using traditional candle making materials that rapidlyreleases fragrance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A scented candle is provided which includes a dual braided wick in acandle mass. The candle mass is positioned on an inwardly slopingplatform and such platform is snugly fit into a noncombustiblecontainer. A wick clip with louvers that secures and centers the wick inthe candle mass allows maximum fuel flow to the wick during use toensure full consumption of the melted candle mass.

These and other features and objects of the present invention will bemore fully understood from the following detailed description whichshould be read in light of the accompanying drawing in whichcorresponding reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a traditional wick used in prior artcandles.

FIG. 2 an elevational view of a braided wick of the candle of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a candle of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a another sectional of the candle of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded sectional view of the candle of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the wick clip used in the candle of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the wick clip shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a graph of the surface melt pool diameter formatting for thepresent invention vs. the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The candle 10 of the present invention includes a candle mass 12 inwhich a wick 14 is embedded. The candle mass is positioned on a platform20 which is inserted in a base container 26.

The candle mass 12 must be of a certain melting point to achieve therapid release of fragrances. It is preferred that the candle massmelting point not exceed 145° F., and more preferably not to exceed 130°F. The candle mass may be made from a number of combustible materials,such as fully refined paraffin, semi-refined paraffin, beeswax, soy wax,epoxidized soybean oil, tallow, microwax, palm wax, mineral wax,polyethylene wax, normal alpha olefins, poly alpha olefins, or othertriacyglycerol-type materials or combustible polymers.

In one embodiment of the invention the following materials within Ranges1 and 2 are used:

TABLE 1 Material-list Purpose Material Product Vendor Range 1 Range 2Fuel Fully Refined Paraffin Parvan 1270 ExxonMobil 100.000% 41.75%Hardness and melt Semi-refined Paraffin 2281A IGI Waxes 0.000% 41.75%point control Crystalline Microcrystalline wax 5715A IGI Waxes 0.000%6.00% modifier Crystalline Poly alpha olefin Vybar 260 Baker Petrolite0.000% 2.00% modifier Protectant UV absorber Chimassorb 81 BASF 0.000%0.20% Protectant UV absorber Tinuvin 329 BASF 0.000% 0.20% ProtectantAntioxidant Irganox B225 BASF 0.000% 0.10% Function Scent VariableVariable 0.000% 8.00%

The candle mass 12 may be formed using existing processes known in theart, such as, liquid pouring and molding, wax bead compression, and waxbead extrusion. A preferred embodiment of the present invention uses waxbead compression by means of a rotary press. In this preferredembodiment, the candle mass 12 is manufactured by mixing together thematerials listed in Table 1 above. These materials are mixed and meltedinto a homogenous liquid state creating a molten “blend”. A molten blendis then sprayed into the air via nozzles with an orifice of 0.35 mm or0.4 mm onto a rotating cold drum where small spheres (approximately 0.25mm-1.25 mm in diameter) are formed. The small spheres are scraped offthe cold drum into a vibrating pan and collected at a point of vacuum.The vacuum delivers small spheres into a candle pressing moldingmachine, such as the machine sold by Herrhammer, GmbH under Model No.STFM-1/450/3. The small spheres are compressed under pressure around apin to form a compressed solid wax blend with a centered channel forsubsequent wick insertion. A wick 14 is then inserted into thecompressed solid wax blend and attached to a wick clip 30 (FIG. 6) byinserting the wick 14 through the wick barrel 34 using a standardprocess called wick pinning

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the candle 10 also includes a platform 20that is sized to fit snugly in a base 26. The candle mass 12 ispositioned on the platform 20 when the candle 10 is in use. The platform20 has a concave shape that inwardly slopes to a circular centerdepression 22 where the candle mass 12 centrally sits. The platform maybe any of the following materials: prime tinplate, aluminum, brass,copper, stainless steel, glass, ceramics, or any other non-combustiblematerial suited to forming. It is preferred that the platform be lockedinto the base 26 so that the bottom of the platform 20 is not be lessthan 32 mm from the bottom of the base 26.

The primary function of the base 26 is to hold the platform 20. The base26 can also be designed of a variety of shapes and colors for decorativepurposes. The base 26 may be comprised of any non-combustible materialas long as it secures the platform 20 at least 32 mm from the bottom ofthe base 26.

The wick 14 is a critical component of the invention as it supportscombustion and spreads the heat in both horizontal and verticaldirections. It is the horizontal heat flow that is conducive to fastformation of the surface melt pool. Horizontal heat flow is obtained bythe dual-wick design of the wick 14 that is most clearly shown in FIG.2. During burning the dual-wick 14 unwinds and opens up causing theflame geometry to shift from a narrow-based flame to a broad-basedflame. The result of this flame geometry shift yields greater heat flowonto the candle mass 12, subsequently quickly melting the solid candlemass 12 forming an active melt pool, thus, quickly releasing the scent.In many preferred embodiments the width of the flame achieved by usingthe dual braided wick 14 is twice as wide as the flame produced by atraditional wick 13 shown in FIG. 1. The dual-braid wick 14 used in thisinvention can be sourced as the Helix series of wicks from the supplierAtkins and Pearce at One Braid Way, Covington, Ky. 41017, U.S.A.

It should be noted that another critical aspect of surface melt pooltime-to-formation is a function of the candle mass' melting point.Therefore, it is important that these two critical parameters be inbalance to produce the safest and most optimal end-use product.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the wick clip 30 is a device that holds thewick 14 in place within the candle mass 12. The present invention uses amodified wick clip 30 specifically designed to allow liquid wax to flowthrough two vertical channels or louvers 32 positioned 180 degreesapart, in an effort to support combustion and for complete fuelconsumption. Barrel height of the wick clip and the barrel height tolouver, both relative to the candle mass height, is another importantaspect of the current invention. It is preferred that the barrel heightnot exceed 12 mm in length, and more preferably not exceed 7 mm inlength. Barrel height dictates the flames position relative to themelted wax mass. A longer barrel height positions the flame too far fromthe melted candle mass resulting in loss of effective heating, therebycausing product failure. Shorter barrel heights position the flame tooclose to the melted candle mass causing excessive heat and unevenfragrance liberation. It is also important that the slats 33 of louvers32 extend parallel to the barrel 34 from the wick clip base 36 to about0.50 mm from the top of the barrel 34. Shorter louvers cause relightfailures. Longer louvers compromise the barrel's integrity causingcollapse of the barrel 34 during wick pinning Another important functionof the louvers 32 is the locking of the wick clip into the candle mass.The slats 33 of louvers 32 extend about 0.0250″ from the barrel'ssurface. This extension provides a gripping surface keeping the wickclip 30 locked into the candle mass. The base 36 of the wick clip 30 maybe of any suitable geometry or diameter as long as a minimum wick basesurface area of 200 mm² is met.

A candle 10 of the present invention was compared for surfacetime-to-melt pool diameter formation to a prior art candle (a S.C.Johnson Glade Scented Oil Candle) using a single braid wick and a wickclip without louvers. The candle mass 12 of the present inventioncontained the ingredients listed in Table 1. Both candles were placed12″ apart on a non-combustible surface and in an 8′×12′ room withstandard HVAC and an ambient temperature of 75° F. Each candle was litconcurrently and a timer activated at time of lighting. The melt poolwas measured in 5 minute increments until the melt pool spilled itscontents. It is well known in the art that fast melt pool formation isdirectly related to the amount of volatile or semi-volatile fragranceemanated by a candle. Results show that in five and ten minutes thecandle of the present invention forms a melt pool greater than twice thediameter of the prior art candle and at fifteen minutes greater than 1.5times. After fifteen minutes the current invention's candle mass spilledits liquid contents into the platform where it subsequently fullyliquefied and consumed. These results are shown in the table below andthe graph in FIG. 8.

Surface Melt Pool time-to-form Diameter Ambient Minutes 75 F. 0 5 10 1520 25 30 Sweet YCC Fast 0 1.17 1.43 1.61 spill Pea Fragrance SpicedDelivery Rose Prior Art 0 0.57 0.67 1.03 1.13 1.32 1.52 Vanilla S.C.Johnson Glade Scented Oil Candle Current 105% 113% 56% surface melt pooltime-to-form significantly exceeds that of the prior art candle

While the foregoing invention has been described in light of itspreferred embodiments, various alterations and modification will occurto those skilled in the art. All such alterations and modifications areintended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A scented candle for rapidly releasing fragrance comprising: adual-braided wick; a wick clip into which said wick is inserted; and acandle mass made of a wax fuel, said candle mass positioned over andaround said wick clip, said dual-braided wick passing from said wickclip through said candle mass.
 2. The scented candle for rapidlyreleasing fragrance of claim 1 wherein a candle mass has a melting pointof less than or equal to 145° F.
 3. The scented candle for rapidlyreleasing fragrance of claim 1 wherein a candle mass has a melting pointof less than or equal to 130° F.
 4. The scented candle for rapidlyreleasing fragrance of claim 1 further comprising: a platform forholding said candle mass and for containing for the wax fuel in a liquidstate when said wax fuel is melted; a base into which said platform ispositioned.
 5. The scented candle for rapidly releasing fragrance ofclaim 1 wherein said wick clip further comprises open louvers to allowmaximum fuel flow to the wick when the candle is in use.
 6. The scentedcandle for rapidly releasing fragrance of claim 1 wherein said wick clipis constructed of a malleable material.
 7. The scented candle forrapidly releasing fragrance of claim 1 wherein said wick clip isconstructed of a material selected from the group consisting of tin,aluminum, brass or copper.
 8. A scented candle for rapidly releasingfragrance comprising: a wick; a wick clip into which said wick isinserted, said wick clip including open louvers to allow maximum fuelflow to the wick when the candle is in use; and a candle mass made of awax fuel, said candle mass positioned over and around said wick clip,said wick passing from said wick clip through said candle mass.
 9. Thescented candle for rapidly releasing fragrance of claim 8 wherein acandle mass has a melting point of less than or equal to 145° F.
 10. Thescented candle for rapidly releasing fragrance of claim 1 wherein acandle mass has a melting point of less than or equal to 130° F.
 11. Thescented candle for rapidly releasing fragrance of claim 1 furthercomprising: a platform for holding said candle mass and for containingfor the wax fuel in a liquid state when said wax fuel is melted; a baseinto which said platform is positioned.
 12. The scented candle forrapidly releasing fragrance of claim 1 wherein said wick is a dualbraided wick.
 13. The scented candle for rapidly releasing fragrance ofclaim 1 wherein said wick clip is constructed of a malleable material.14. The scented candle for rapidly releasing fragrance of claim 1wherein said wick clip is constructed of a material selected from thegroup consisting of tin, aluminum, brass or copper.